Welcome to Booker Hopkins
Booker & Hopkins Associates deliver new business opportunities, better customer targeting, business growth, higher sales and better profitability to clients through a package of consultancy approaches and models. Our consultancy services include marketing strategy and planning, business planning including strategies, market research, director mentoring, corporate identity and branding and business development. > more
A view on lobbying and public relations
Posted on August 20, 2008
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See www.ultramarking.co.uk for a review and observation on a great satire on public relations ‘Thank You for Smoking’.
Networking
Posted on August 13, 2008
Filed Under Business Development | Leave a Comment
Networking works for business and for individuals whether its working a room or using LinkedIn or EAcademy to build virtual networks. So see my new page on the subject of building personal and business networks and see my profile http://www.linkedin.com/pub/1/115/38
Fuel Price rises will impact on days out this summer
Posted on July 15, 2008
Filed Under Tourism | Leave a Comment
Attract Marketing, Booker & Hopkins sister company says that
52% OR 1 in 2 people who were drivers say that fuel price rises will impact on days out this summer, in a survey of close to 10,000 respondents.
Close to 60% of these were in the key family raising life stage (25 - 44) with a slightly higher proportion of women responding potentially indicating their concerns of how to juggle entertaining the family over the Summer months with using the car. The research was carried out in the last week by Attract Marketing the Midlands based tourism consultants.
“That looks like fewer visitors for theme parks, farms, stately homes, museums and other attractions this year ” says Attract director Nick Booker. “Unless operators of attractions can find innovative ways of keeping the visitors coming in and ensuring that those who come feel they are getting value for money, its going to be a very tough year.”
Consumers are being squeezed on all fronts says Nick Booker and they will be looking for activities that provide good value for money or are maybe free such as public museums and galleries and can be reached perhaps with just a short journey. Even when they get in to their favourite museum or theme park visitors will be counting the change and so secondary spend, that is spending on food and drink and souvenirs is going to be affected.
It will be even more important to get the visitor offer right, ranging from the advertising that attracts visitors in the first place to the experience of the visit including good customer service and the memories that are taken away. Those attractions that don’t get that package right will suffer most.
Equally operators themselves are being squeezed by increasing costs and so need to look at ways of improving their buying and their pricing.
For more information
Contact:
Nick Booker - 01926 864 900 or 07802 281168 - Kenilworth ,Warwickshire
Hugh McCormack - 0115 914 2887 or 07768 324206 - Nottingham
NOTE TO EDITORS
Attract based in Kenilworth Warwickshire and with a Nottingham office works with operators, tourism bodies, museums, theme parks, stately homes, and other venues in the visitor attraction heritage, culture and leisure industry to develop better experiences in the economically important leisure industry.
Poll carried out on the Internet using Toluna :
Question asked:
Will fuel price rises reduce the number of day trips you make over the Summer (e.g. to theme parks, open farms, stately homes, museums etc)?
Total sample: 10942
A1: Yes (4883 Votes) 45%
A2: No (2799 Votes) 26%
A3: I don’t know (1606 Votes) 15%
A4: I don’t drive (1654 Votes) 15%
Six Point Marketing Checklist
Posted on April 14, 2008
Filed Under Business Strategy, FREE marketing advice | Leave a Comment
1. Try something new (or some old technique) for solving problems/seeking solutions eg Edward de Bono’s six hat thinking method. In summary this means role playing as follows:
- White Hat - virgin white, pure facts, figures, and information
- Red Hat - seeing red, emotions and feelings, also hunch and intuition
- Black Hat - devil’s advocate, negative judgement, why it will not work.
- Yellow Hat - sunshine, brightness and optimism, positive, constructive, opportunity
- Green Hat - fertile, creative, plants springing from seeds, movement, provocation
- Blue Hat - cool and control, orchestra conductor, thinking about thinking
Buy some coloured hats!
For a detailed description - read Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono.
2. Put yourself in the position of the customer. How do they see your business? What are they seeing and hearing and responding to? Customers do not see departments and certainly are not interested in your problems. There may be a thousand mirrors but there is only one view. For once, do not ask the market research department for a customer survey.
3. Try the “Back to the Floor” technique. Spend a day in the front line with your sales force, at the call centre, with your distributors, agents, on reception etc. Find out what your company is doing right, and what your staff think can be done better. Could also generate some great PR opportunities!
4. Ensure that your Marketing Plan can be reduced to a one-page summary with actions and that all those involved have up to date copies.
5. Look at your web site statistics - What are they telling you? Ask yourself whether you are capturing the enquiries and information requests that you really want. Should you do some work on your web site? Ask your Webmaster why you are not getting return visits. If it’s a good web site, people should want to come back.
Consider asking for an external view on some marketing problem or issue your company is facing - try Booker & Hopkins Associates - the first visit is always free!
Appraising New Products, Processes and Services
Posted on April 13, 2008
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The following check list covers some of the KEY questions that need to be answered when appraising new products, services or processes. It covers the issues that are sometimes skated over or even forgotten when new projects are proposed, whether they be completely new or modifications of existing ones. The list is not exhaustive, but it should stimulate other questions to ensure that new ideas receive a thorough investigation before significant amounts of money and time are devoted to developing them. Some of the questions will be more or less relevant depending on whether the new venture involves a product, process or service.
Use of this list does NOT guarantee success nor will it ensure all unviable projects are rejected! Nevertheless at the very minimum, it should ensure that the issues are aired before wise or unwise decisions are made.
1. What is the proposition and in particular, its unique features?
Product/process/service
Literally what is it - how would you describe it to someone who knew nothing about it?
Market need
How do you know there is a market need - will someone buy it - what evidence do you have?
2. What is the relevance to the sponsoring company/organisation?
Technology synergy
Does it fit with what you do already - will it enhance your existing way of doing things?
Market synergy
Will it complement or enhance your existing market activities and if so how?
Impact on current products/processes
What effect will it have on what you already make/sell?
3. What financial resources are required?
Research and development
Do you need to spend any money on further research to refine it - does it require additional development to ensure acceptance?
Capital investment
Will it require investment in for example additional plant or warehousing?
Return on investment
Related to the above - what are the forecast payback periods and/or percentage return on the money invested in the project?
4. What is the market?
Size and growth prospects
What is the size of the market for your new product/process/service - can you identify likely customers?
Competition
Who is already in the market - what do they do?
Proposed market share
What share of the total market are you likely to achieve and over what time scale?
5. What is the forecast scale of the business?
Timescale for development from idea to finished product/process
How long is it going to take to achieve your stated goal(s)?
Turnover, profits, assets, cash flow, people
Related to items 3 & 4 - what are likely sales, margins, profits - how long before it generates cash - do you have enough people to develop/manage it - what assets will be needed to ensure success?
6. What are the % chances of success?
Sensitivities
What is the probability that you will achieve your forecast levels of sales and profits - what is the effect of varying levels of sales and cost structures?
Barriers to entry
Are there any legislative/statutory barriers to market entry, approvals to achieve and/or distribution/sales difficulties to overcome?
Impact of competitive responses
How will the competition (if any) respond to a new market entrant eg lower prices, special offers etc?
7. How is the product/process to be exploited?
Make/use
Are you going to make/develop and use it yourself?
Sell
Are you going to sell the product etc yourself or sell it to someone else?
Licence/franchise
Can you licence production or sell a franchise rather than sell in all markets and all territories?
Factor
Can you get someone else to sell it on your behalf?
Joint venture
Should you share the risk with someone else - perhaps a company that has more experience than you in certain markets?
There are of course a whole series of sub sets of questions which follow on from each of the main questions listed above. It is hoped in due course to prepare supplementary lists covering these as well as Check Lists for particular projects eg new market development.
For more information on our to evaluating new ventures and appraising existing ones contact Nick Booker of Booker & Hopkins Associates.
Writing Press Releases
Posted on April 13, 2008
Filed Under FREE marketing advice, PR | Leave a Comment
You do not always have to employ a public relations agency to write and send out press releases.
When writing and issuing your own, ask yourself the following questions:
- WHO is the subject of the release?
- WHO is this news release from?
- WHERE are you based?
- WHERE is the event happening?
- WHAT is this news release about?
- WHEN is it happening?
- WHEN do you want the release to go out?
- WHY are you doing it?
- HOW will you go about it?
So:
- Make sure your release includes the answers to WHO? and WHAT? in the first sentence
- Stick to a maximum of 200 words for the main press release.
- Put any technical detail or detailed company information in a separate background note.
- Old news is cold news: make sure all your press releases go out at the same time as the news happens, or before if possible. 24 hours later is too late for daily media.
- Make sure the person named as the contact point for further information is available after you’ve put out the release.
- Space the text at 1.5 lines, it’s easier to read and in hard copy makes it simpler to amend.
- Keep the release single sided and use an easy to read font eg Times Roman or Arial in no less than 12pt
Remember the following points:
- The Headline: In about ten words — or less — you need to grab the attention of the editor. The headline should summarize the information in the press release, but in a way that is exciting and dynamic.
- Opening Paragraph: Sometimes called a summary lead, your first paragraph is critical. This paragraph must explain “the five Ws and one H” of the story — the who, what, when, where, why, and how. This paragraph must summarize the press release, with the following paragraphs providing the detail.
- The Body: Using a strategy called the inverted pyramid, the body of the press release should be written with the most important information and quotes first. This inverted pyramid technique is used so that if editors need to cut the story to fit space constraints, they can cut from the end without losing critical information.
- The Closing Paragraph: Repeat the critical contact information, including the name of the person, his or her phone number and/or email address.
- Targets: Press releases should be targeted accurately. Consider not only the media you are sending them to, but more importantly their readers, viewers or listeners. Consider writing than one version, for different audiences (say, a local and a national newspaper; or a newspaper and a specialist publication), slanted appropriately. An interesting angle also helps; and if you’re sending to local media, make sure the story is relevant for them, too - highlight their own area in the press release you send.
They’re more likely to hit the spot if they are written in their own style. Sometimes your press release can get transcribed almost word for word if you’re lucky. Think about your news from the audience’s point of view, rather than your own. What may be important to you may not be that fascinating to them.